Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

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Preferences and metadata overview
In Final Cut Pro, you can modify preference settings to specify how your source media is 
imported into the application, how your clips play back, and how you edit your clips in 
the Timeline.
You can also view and change the information associated with a clip, referred to as a clip’s 
metadata. Metadata includes information about a clip’s source media files as well as information 
you add to a clip, such as notes. For more information, see Display and change clip metadata
 on 
page 452.
Final Cut Pro preferences
Change preference settings
A preference modifies how a particular Final Cut Pro feature behaves. Most preference settings 
can be turned on or off at any time. The following sections describe Final Cut Pro preferences 
in detail.
Open Final Cut Pro preferences
 mChoose Final Cut Pro > Preferences (or press Command-Comma), and click a pane’s button at the 
top of the window to open it.
Copy Final Cut Pro preferences between computers
You can copy Final Cut Pro preference settings to another Mac that has Final Cut Pro installed so 
that the settings are the same on both computers.
 1 Find the preference settings file in the following location:
/Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.apple.FinalCut.plist
 2 Copy the preference settings file to the same location on another Mac.
If necessary, overwrite any existing version of the file at that location.
Preferences and metadata
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General preferences
General preferences are basic settings in Final Cut Pro.
Time Display
 •Time Display: Use this pop-up menu to choose the time mode for Final Cut Pro. Changes in 
this setting affect the time display (for the position of the skimmer or the playhead) in the 
Dashboard in the center of the toolbar, as well as trimming and navigation operations in 
Final Cut Pro. You have the following options:
 •Timecode display
 •Timecode display including subframes
 •Duration in frames
 •Duration in seconds
Dialog warnings
 •Reset All: Click this button to reset all warning dialogs that you dismissed by selecting the “Do 
not remind me again” checkbox. 
Note:  For information about library backups, see Restore a library from automatic backups on 
page 76 and Manage storage locations on page 434.
Editing preferences
Editing preferences affect editing behaviors in Final Cut Pro.
Timeline
 •Show detailed trimming feedback: Select this checkbox to show the “two-up” display in the 
Viewer for more accurate feedback on an edit point involving two contiguous clips. For 
example, for a simple ripple or roll edit, this display shows the end point of the left clip and the 
start point of the right clip.
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 •Position playhead after edit operation: Select this checkbox to have the playhead automatically 
positioned in the Timeline at the end of your last edit. For example, if you insert a clip between 
two clips in the Timeline, the playhead is automatically positioned between the inserted clip 
and the clip that follows it.
Inspector Units
 •Inspector Units: Use this pop-up menu to choose how values are displayed in inspector controls 
for Transform, Crop, and Distort effects.
 •Pixels: Choose this setting to display values as pixels.
 •Percentages: Choose this setting to display values as percentages.
Audio
 •Show reference waveforms: Select this checkbox to change the background appearance of 
the audio portion of a clip to show reference waveforms. A reference waveform shows the 
maximum visual resolution possible of the actual audio waveform. By factoring out loudness, 
reference waveforms let you see the shape of the sound more clearly. When the actual 
waveform changes shape (for example, it is diminished when a clip’s volume level is low), you 
can continue to see its reference waveform in full for easy reference when editing.
Still Images
 •Editing duration is x seconds: Use this value slider to set the default editing duration of still-
image and freeze-frame clips in seconds.
Transitions
 •Duration is x seconds: Use this value slider to set the default duration of transitions in seconds.
Playback preferences
Playback preferences affect playback and rendering performance in Final Cut Pro.
Note:  For information about controlling playback quality and performance, including switching 
between original or optimized media and proxy media, see Control playback quality and 
performance
 on page 85 .
Rendering
 •Background render: Select this checkbox to turn on Final Cut Pro rendering operations when 
the system is idle.
 •Start after: Use this value slider to set the amount of time your system is idle, in seconds, before 
Final Cut Pro begins background rendering.
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Playback
 •Create optimized media for multicam clips: Select this checkbox to automatically transcode 
multicam clip video to the Apple ProRes 422 codec, which provides better performance during 
editing and faster render times.
 •If a frame drops, stop playback and warn: Select this checkbox to have Final Cut Pro warn you 
when frames are dropped during playback.
 •If frames drop due to disk performance, warn after playback: Select this checkbox to have 
Final Cut Pro warn you if frames were dropped specifically because of hard disk performance.
Pre-Roll Duration
 •Pre-Roll Duration: Use this value slider to set the amount of time to play before an audition or 
before the skimmer or playhead position when using the Play Around command.
Post-Roll Duration
 •Post-Roll Duration: Use this value slider to set the amount of time to play after an audition or 
after the skimmer or playhead position when using the Play Around command.
Player Background
 •Player Background: Use this pop-up menu to choose a background for the Viewer. The color 
you choose will be visible in the case of partially or completely transparent clips, or clips that 
do not fill the frame completely.
A/V Output
 •A/V Output: Use this pop-up menu to choose an external audio/video device or monitor for 
output. A/V output requires third-party video interface hardware and software and is available 
only with OS X Lion v10.7.2 or later. For more information, see  View playback on an external 
video monitor
 on page 83 .
Import preferences
When you import media into Final Cut Pro using the Media Import window, you can customize 
your import settings each time you import files. However, if you drag media directly from the 
Finder into Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro uses the import settings you selected in the Import pane 
of the Final Cut Pro Preferences window.
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Files
Choose a storage location for the media files:
 •Copy to library storage location: This option duplicates the media files and places the copies 
in the current library storage location. You can set storage locations for each of your libraries 
using the Library Properties inspector. For more information, see Manage storage locations
 on 
page 434.
 •Leave in place: If you import files with this option selected, Final Cut Pro creates symbolic links 
(also known as symlinks), which are special files that point to the media files without copying 
them. When you move, copy, or back up events and projects that use these files, Final Cut Pro 
moves or copies the symbolic links only (not the source media files). If, after you move or copy 
your project or event, you want to replace the symbolic links with the actual source media 
files, select the events and choose File > Consolidate Event Files. For more information about 
files and clips, see Media files and clips
 on page 22 .
Transcoding
 •Create optimized media: This option transcodes video to the Apple ProRes 422 codec, which 
provides better performance during editing, faster render times, and better color quality for 
compositing. If the original camera format can be edited with good performance, this option 
is dimmed.
 •Create proxy media: This option transcodes video to the Apple ProRes 422 Proxy codec, which 
provides high-quality files useful for offline editing. Video proxy files can use considerably less 
disk space, often enough to allow you to work on a portable computer instead of a desktop 
computer that has significantly more memory and processing power. This option transcodes 
still images to either JPEG files (if the original file doesn’t have alpha channel information) or 
PNG files (if the file has alpha channel information).
For more information, see Manage optimized and proxy media files
 on page 425 .
Note:  To control whether Final Cut Pro displays optimized, proxy, or original media in the Viewer, 
and whether video playback is optimized for quality or performance, choose the corresponding 
options from the Viewer Options pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the Viewer. For more 
information, see Control playback quality and performance
 on page 85.
Keywords
 •From Finder tags: Creates a Keyword Collection for each Finder tag assigned to the files 
you’re importing. If the files you’re importing have tags, select this option to keep the tag 
organization that exists in the Finder. For more information about Finder tags, see the help for 
OS X (available from the Help menu when the Finder is active).
Note:  For REDCODE RAW files only, Keyword Collections are based on tags assigned to the 
enclosing folder.
 •From folders: Creates a Keyword Collection for each folder in the files you’re importing. Select this 
option to preserve the file organization that exists in the Finder. (Note that although Keyword 
Collections do not appear in a hierarchy in the Libraries list, every file in a folder is assigned a 
keyword for each folder it’s in, whether it’s one, two, or more levels deep in that folder.)
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 •Find people: Analyzes clips with video for the presence of people and shot types. After analysis, 
any of the following keywords are added to the clip: One Person, Two Persons, Group, Close Up 
Shot, Medium Shot, and Wide Shot. The “Consolidate find people results” checkbox simplifies 
and summarizes all of the “find people” analysis keywords. For more information, see  Video and 
still-image analysis options
 on page 51 . If you’re analyzing to find people, it’s recommended 
that you also select the “Create Smart Collections after analysis” checkbox.
 •Create Smart Collections after analysis: Creates Smart Collections for each keyword applied 
when video clips are analyzed for image stabilization problems or the presence of people. The 
Smart Collections appear in a folder inside the event.
Video
 •Analyze for balance color: Analyzes video clips and detects color cast and contrast issues. Color 
is automatically balanced when you drag the clip to the Timeline. You can fix color balance for 
a clip in an event by turning on Balance in the Color section of the Video inspector.
You can turn off the automatic color adjustments at any time to display the colors that were 
originally recorded.
Audio
 •Analyze and fix audio problems: Analyzes audio and automatically corrects it for hum, noise, and 
loudness. You can turn off automatic audio corrections at any time; after you do so, the audio 
will play as originally recorded.
 •Separate mono and group stereo audio: Analyzes and groups audio channels as dual mono or 
stereo, depending on the results of the analysis. For more information about audio channels, 
see Configure audio channels
 on page 171 .
 •Remove silent channels: Audio channels are analyzed, and silent channels are 
automatically removed.
Note:  You can retrieve the original audio configuration after import. See Configure audio 
channels
 on page 171 . 
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Destinations preferences
You modify share destinations in the Destinations pane of the Final Cut Pro Preferences window. 
The destinations in the Destinations list (on the left side of the Destinations pane) also appear in 
the Share submenu of the File menu and in the pop-up menu that appears when you click the 
Share button in the toolbar.
When you first open Final Cut Pro, a default set of destinations appears in the Destinations list, 
but you can add other destinations and customize destinations. To see the destinations you 
can add, select Add Destination in the Destinations list. When you select a destination in the 
Destinations list, its settings appear on the right.
The settings available for each destination are described below. For information about adding 
and modifying destinations, see Create and modify share destinations on page 403.
DVD and Blu-ray
Use these destinations to burn your project or clip to a standard-definition (SD) DVD or a Blu-ray-
compatible disc, or to create a disk image (.img) file you can copy to an external drive or burn to 
disc later.
Note:  The Blu-ray destination does not appear by default. To add it to the Destinations list, see 
Create and modify share destinations
 on page 403 .
The DVD and Blu-ray destinations include the following settings:
 •Output Device: Displays your system’s suitable output devices, including optical drives and the 
computer’s hard disk.
You can use your hard disk to create a disk image (.img) file that you can copy to an external 
drive or burn to DVD media later. 
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 •Layers: Displays the available layers on the destination media. 
 •Automatic: Automatically detects the type of disc you can use.
 •Single-layer: Identifies the disc as a single-layer disc. You can use this option to force a dual-
layer disc to be treated as a single-layer disc.
 •Double-layer: Identifies the disc as a double-layer disc. You can use this option to force the 
disk image to be formatted for a double-layer disc when you choose Hard Drive as your 
output device.
Important:  Depending on the project’s length, choosing Double-layer when using a single-
layer disc may result in an error while burning the disc.
 •Disc template: Displays the available disc templates.
 •When disc loads: Displays the automatic action taken when you play the disc.
 •Show Menu: Displays the main menu.
 •Play Movie: Begins playing the movie immediately.
 •Markers: Not available for Blu-ray when using an AVCHD output device. Select the checkbox 
to include chapter marker text as subtitles on the output disc. Users can navigate between 
the chapter markers by pressing the Next Chapter or Previous Chapter button on the DVD or 
Blu-ray player. For more information about chapter markers, see Manage chapter markers and 
their thumbnail images
 on page 15 2 .
 •Loop: Available for Blu-ray only. Select this checkbox to add a loop icon to the menu.
 •Background: Click the Add button to add a background graphic.
 •Logo graphic: Available for Blu-ray only. Click the Add button to add a logo graphic.
 •Title graphic: Available for Blu-ray only. Click the Add button to add a title graphic.
 •Preview: Click Main Menu to preview the main menu; click Chapter Menu to preview the 
chapter menu. 
Email
Use this destination to email your project or clip using Mail, Apple’s email program. The Email 
destination automatically creates an email message that includes the exported file.
Note:  The Email destination does not appear by default. To add it to the Destinations list, see 
Create and modify share destinations
 on page 403 .
The Email destination includes the following settings:
 •Resolution: Choose a resolution from the pop-up menu. 
 •Compression: Choose “Better quality” if you want the highest-quality compression; choose 
“Faster encode” if you’re willing to sacrifice quality for faster processing.
YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, CNN iReport, Youku, and Tudou
Use these destinations to publish your project or clip to your YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, CNN 
iReport, Youku, or Tudou account.
Note:  The CNN iReport, Youku, and Tudou destinations do not appear in the Share menu by 
default. To add them to the Destinations list, see Create and modify share destinations
 on 
page 403 .
Important:  If you have two or more accounts for the same website, you must make a separate 
destination for each account. After you enter the account information, the destination name is 
appended with the account name in parentheses; for example, “YouTube (myusername).” If you 
want, you can rename the destination with a more descriptive name.
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The web destinations include the following settings:
 •Sign In: The first time you view a web destination, a window for entering your account 
information appears. If you enter your account name and password and select the “Remember 
this password in my keychain” checkbox, you won’t need to enter your account name or 
password again. For detailed instructions, see Create and modify share destinations
 on 
page 403.
After the initial setup, you can click the Sign In button in the destination’s settings to reenter 
or change your account information.
 •Resolution: Choose the default resolution for the destination. If the destination is used with 
a project or clip that has a lower resolution than the resolution you chose, the resolution 
changes to match that of the project or clip.
 •Compression: Choose “Better quality” if you want the highest-quality compression; choose 
“Faster encode” if you’re willing to sacrifice quality for faster processing.
 •Viewable by: Choose a privacy setting for your shared movie. The privacy settings that appear 
in the menu change based on the web destination (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and so on) 
you’re modifying.
Important:  When you provide a password for a Youku account, you must enter your password 
and then deselect the password field (by pressing the Tab key or clicking elsewhere in the 
window). If you don’t do this, Youku does not receive the account information. 
 •Category: Choose the category your movie will appear in. The category options change based 
on the web destination you’re modifying.
Save Current Frame and Export Image Sequence
Use these destinations to save a still image of any video frame in your project or to save a set of 
sequentially numbered still-image files.
Note:  The Save Current Frame and Image Sequence destinations do not appear by default. 
To add either of them to the Destinations list, see Create and modify share destinations
 on 
page 403 .
The Save Current Frame and Image Sequence destinations include the following settings:
 •Export: Choose a file format for the exported file.
 •Scale image to preserve aspect ratio: Select this checkbox to scale the output file to use square 
pixels and maintain the original aspect ratio (which results in an increase or decrease in the 
number of horizontal and vertical pixels). 
The checkbox affects only projects with formats that use non-square pixels, such as NTSC 
and PAL formats. If the checkbox is not selected (the default setting), the output file uses 
the same pixel aspect ratio and has the same number of horizontal and vertical pixels as the 
original video.
Export File
Note:  This destination is used as the basis for three of the destinations in the default set: Master 
File, Apple Devices 720p, and Apple Devices 1080p. When you create and modify destinations in 
Final Cut Pro preferences, this destination is called Export File.
Use this destination to export your project or clip as a movie file with video and audio, as a video 
file (with no audio), or as an audio file (with no video). This destination is used to export files for 
Apple devices, computers, and web hosting. 
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You can customize the Export File destination by choosing one of several resolutions, depending 
on the intended playback device. For example, choose 1280 x 720 resolution for iPhone and iPod, 
and 1920 x 1080 resolution for iPad. You can also export one or more of the roles used in your 
project into one or more files, also known as media stems.
The Export File destination includes the following settings:
 •Format: Lists mastering formats ( Video and Audio, Video Only, Audio Only) and publishing 
formats (Apple Devices, Computer, Web Hosting). Your choice of format determines the 
options in the pop-up menus below.
Important:  When sharing a project or clip, you can change the resolution only for 
publishing formats.
 •Video codec: Choose a codec to use for the exported file. (Available choices are based on the 
source clip or project media format.)
 •Resolution: Choose the default resolution for the destination. If the destination is used with 
a project or clip that has a lower resolution than the resolution you chose, the resolution 
changes to match that of the project or clip.
 •Audio file format: If you chose Audio Only from the Format pop-up menu, choose an audio 
format for the exported file. If you chose another option from the Format pop-up menu, this 
item lists the audio format that will be used for the exported file.
 •Include chapter markers: Select the checkbox to include chapter markers that were added to 
the project in the output file. Users can navigate between the chapter markers by clicking the 
Next Chapter or Previous Chapter button in iTunes or QuickTime Player. 
 •“When done,” “Open with,” or “Add to playlist”: Choose what should happen when the export is 
complete. You can choose to open the exported file in an application, add it to your iTunes 
library, or publish it to the Media Browser. The name of the pop-up menu changes depending 
on what you choose.
 •Do Nothing: Choose this option if you don’t want to automatically open the exported file.
 •QuickTime Player, iTunes, or another application: Choose this option to open the exported 
file in the default application associated with the file. You can set or change the default 
application in the Finder. For more information, see OS X Help, available from the Help menu 
when the Finder is active.
 •Compressor: Choose this option to open the exported file in Compressor. The exported file 
will appear as the source in a new batch, making it easy to continue to process the project’s 
movie. For example, you can create the compressed versions needed for distribution, 
without involving Final Cut Pro.
Note:  This option is available only if Compressor is installed on the same computer as 
Final Cut Pro.
 •Other: Choose this option to specify another application to open the exported file. Select the 
application in the window that appears, and click Open.
 •Library: Choose this option to add the exported file to your iTunes library.
 •Roles as: Available only if you chose a mastering format ( Video and Audio, Video Only, or Audio 
Only) from the Format pop-up menu. If you need to export your project as separate media 
files (for example, if you want to export the dialogue, music, and sound effects from your 
project separately), you can export one or more of your project’s roles as media stems. You 
can create a combined, multitrack QuickTime file or separate audio or video files using your 
project’s audio and video roles, and you can assign mono, stereo, or surround output for your 
audio channels. For more information about roles, see Roles overview
 on page 318 .
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